Liverpool’s move to sign Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi on transfer deadline day has fallen through.
A deal was agreed to sell Guehi to the Merseyside club for a fee of £35 million, plus a 10 percent sell-on clause.
The 25-year-old was given permission to complete the formalities of his move, and had started undergoing a medical, in London on Monday, before signing what would have been a five-year contract with the Premier League champions.
But sources have now confirmed to BBC Sport that the deal is off.
Palace were refusing to sanction the transfer as they faced difficulties in sorting a replacement – with target Igor Julio opting for a move to West Ham.
They completed two signings on deadline day.
Toulouse centre-back Jaydee Canvot joined on a four-year deal while Christantus Uche arrived on a seson-long loan from Getafe.
Palace wanted two defensive replacements before sanctioning Guehi’s exit.
It was a busy deadline day for Liverpool, who also agreed a British record £125m deal with Newcastle for striker Alexander Isak.
Guehi captained Palace to a 3-0 win at Aston Villa on Sunday, scoring a spectacular second goal.
Speaking after the match, he did not discuss his future.
“All I know is when you score goals like that it is always down to team performance,” he said. “People will try to single out the goal but that was a clear team performance tonight.”
Guehi had been a key target for Liverpool this summer after Jarrell Quansah left Anfield for Bayer Leverkusen.
There have also been concerns about the solidity of a Liverpool’s defence that conceded six goals in their first three games of the season.
They lost the Community Shield on penalties to Palace – who Guehi captained at Wembley – and gave up two-goal leads in the Premier League to Bournemouth and Newcastle before fighting back to win.
What next for Guehi?
Guehi will now return to Crystal Palace, where he has performed a key role in the start of the club’s season, despite speculation about his future.
He has played 90 minutes in all six of Palace’s games across three competitions including the Community Shield win, and the Conference League as the Eagles returned to Europe.
They qualified for Europe by beating Manchester City in the FA Cup final – the club’s first major trophy, lifted by Guehi – and are competing in this season’s Conference League.
But his long-term future remains uncertain, as he is in the final year of his contract and has told Palace he does not want to extend it.
Guehi has broken into the England squad since joining Palace from Chelsea in 2021, and was key for the Three Lions in their run to the Euro 2024 final.
